The Roots of Wisdom: Ethics of the Fathers, 3:22

The preservation of scholarship requires the fertile soil of virtue.

[Rabbi Elazar ben Azariah] used to say: Anyone whose wisdom exceeds his good deeds -- to what is he similar? To a tree whose branches are many and whose roots are few; then the wind will come and uproot it and turn it over. As it is said: "And he will be like a lonely tree in a wasteland that will not see when good comes. It will dwell on parched soil in the desert, on a salted land, uninhabited" (Jeremiah 17:6).

But one whose deeds exceed his wisdom -- to what is he similar? To a tree whose branches are few and whose roots are many; even if all the winds in the world come and blow against it, they will not move it from its place. As it is said: "And he shall be like a tree planted by the water spreading its roots toward the stream, and it will not notice when heat comes. Its leaves will be fresh, in a year of drought it will not worry, and it shall not cease yielding fruit" (ibid., 17:8). (Ethics of the Fathers, 3:22)

On the surface, Rabbi Elazar's allegory appears easy to understand. Scholarship alone is not enough; only when wisdom influences action and produces virtue will it endure.

On closer examination, however, the image of a tree raises many questions. If wisdom is the source of action, why does the mishna not compare wisdom to the roots and good deeds to the branches? Just as roots draw sustenance from the earth to nourish the tree, similarly the roots in the allegory should represent the wisdom that fosters action.

Moreover, granted that wisdom is not enough, and that a person without good deeds is like a tree without adequate support, why does Rabbi Elazar describe a tree with few branches in the second part of his allegory? If a person has many good deeds, why do the "branches" of his wisdom still have to be "few"?

And why does Rabbi Elazar have to describe the wind? Would it not have been simpler to describe a tree so unstable that it is in danger of toppling under its own weight, even without the wind?

Finally, why does Rabbi Elazar prove his lesson with verses describing land that is either parched or abundantly watered? How does environment fit into his illustration of the tree's roots and branches?

THE ROAD OF GOOD INTENTIONS

Rabbi Abraham Twerski writes that when he was a boy, a visiting rabbi asked him the following question: Since the Torah equates thought with action, then thinking of a question should be the same as actually speaking it. "If so," concluded the rabbi, "you should be able to tell me the answer to the question that I am thinking."

The young Abraham Twerski offered the only reply that seemed to make sense: "I am thinking of the answer," he said.

Esoteric scholarship that is not firmly grounded in practical wisdom and disciplined behavior becomes first a distraction and ultimately a danger.

The Torah's equation of thought and deed is meant to impress upon us that thoughts are the first step toward actions and that actions are imperfect if performed without sincere intent. Nevertheless, thoughts alone are not enough -- we all know which road is paved with good intentions. Consequently, although wisdom is indisputably the source of actions, it is our actions that secure and preserve our wisdom. Unless properly channeled, wisdom may come to nothing; even worse, it may become twisted and corrupted through rationalization.

Understood this way, actions are indeed the roots that support wisdom and enable it to endure. By the same token, scholarship that is out of proportion with the measure of good deeds creates similar instability. Esoteric scholarship that is not firmly grounded in practical wisdom and disciplined behavior becomes first a distraction and ultimately a danger. One who dabbles excessively in theoretical studies with little relevance to everyday life can easily become so lost in his musings that he neglects the mundane but essential responsibilities of worldly existence.

PRACTICE MAKES PERFECT

Whether or not we like it, as human beings we are creatures of habit. This can work against us: we easily fall into routine, often fail to give our activities the full attention they require, and frequently resist thinking outside the box. But routine can work in our favor as well. Just as bad habits are broken only with difficulty, good habits propel us in the direction we ought to go even when our minds are elsewhere.

Why do star basketball players invest hours a day shooting free throws, and why do baseball sluggers stay late for extra batting practice? Because they understand that the more we practice the better we become, that the routine of repetitive action leaves an imprint upon our behavior from which we will benefit later on.

Similarly, the more good deeds we perform, the more we inculcate good behavior into our psyche, and the greater the likelihood that we will continue to conduct ourselves in the same manner. When the winds of temptation, of impulsivity, of self-interest, and of self-indulgence blow against us, the scholar will easily buckle before them unless he has trained himself in the performance of good deeds proportional to his scholarship.

THE WATERS OF VIRTUE

Why does one tree develop a complex root system when another becomes overgrown with branches? A tree that is planted near water easily stretches out its roots to absorb the ready supply of life-giving water that surrounds it. In contrast, a tree planted in parched soil sends its branches in all direction as it attempts to absorb moisture from the atmosphere. It's search for sustenance creates its instability.

Unlike trees, which have no control over where they are planted, human beings can choose their own environment. If one chooses to live among people unconcerned with the goodness of their deeds, then he will become like a "lonely tree in a wasteland that will not see good when it comes." Without support from a community committed to virtuous deeds, even if one studies Torah and increases his wisdom, his wisdom will not endure, for it will remain disconnected from the actions necessary to preserve and protect it.

However, if he "plants" himself in a community devoted to applying the wisdom of Torah into concrete actions, then he will flourish, without fear of depletion, and will always enjoy the spiritual fruits of his labors.

The opinions expressed in the comment section are the personal views of the commenters. Comments are moderated, so please keep it civil.

Visitor Comments: 2

(2)
Norma Fares,
October 31, 2008 7:13 AM

"Human beings can choose their own environement". Indeed despite the pain to do that when you live in a backward hatred-world like the Arab World.
Is it challenging? Yes. Is it a desperate way of living? Yes. Could it make you give up? No with a big N when wisdom is strongly based on good intent, clear vision, Seldom and willing. In my actual big environement, Aish is my water and wind that allow me, if compared to a "lonely tree in a wasteland", to breath and survive while reinforcing my roots and deeds with your great help and support.
Most of people who I know do not understand my attachment to the internet, the only tool that can connect me to you, the people who I belong to. I'm lonely in my actual environement...big time. My family does understand it. When the internet connection betrays me...I start counting the minutes when I would be able to re-connect with you. "I wonder how did you manage to stay without an internet connection dring the whole week? my brother once asked me.
From my own experience, "Human beings can choose their own environement" when that is possible: Aish with the people of the web are the possibility for people who want to choose the direction that makes all the difference. I feel peace inside my true-self. I feel light that embraces carefully my soul in the most barbaric big environment i.e. Arab World.
Aish along with the people of the web,I owe you a lot. Thank you so much for existing.
Norma from Lebanon

(1)
Mike Lampard,
October 27, 2008 7:19 AM

Great comments.

This is excellent wisdom! Effectively, we are saying:
'don't talk, but do.' Actions speak louder than words. Developing a 'good deeds' habit so that it becomes in a sense 'second nature' is the kind of eduction needed in our schools. Great to resd this!

Submit Your Comment:

Name:*

Display my name?

YesNo

Email:*

Your email address is kept private. Our editor needs it in case we have a question about your comment.

I've been striving to get more into spirituality. But it seems that every time I make some progress, I find myself slipping right back to where I started. I'm getting discouraged and feel like a failure. Can you help?

The Aish Rabbi Replies:

Spiritual slumps are a natural part of spiritual growth. There is a cycle that people go through when at times they feel closer to God and at times more distant. In the words of the Kabbalists, it is "two steps forward and one step back." So although you feel you are slipping, know that this is a natural process. The main thing is to look at your overall progress (over months or years) and be able to see how far you've come!

This is actually God's ingenious way of motivating us further. The sages compare this to teaching a baby how to walk. When the parent is holding on, the baby shrieks with delight and is under the illusion that he knows how to walk. Yet suddenly, when the parent lets go, the child panics, wobbles and may even fall.

At such times when we feel spiritually "down," that is often because God is letting go, giving us the great gift of independence. In some ways, these are the times when we can actually grow the most. For if we can move ourselves just a little bit forward, we truly acquire a level of sanctity that is ours forever.

Here is a practical tool to help pull you out of the doldrums. The Sefer HaChinuch speaks about a great principle in spiritual growth: "The external awakens the internal." This means that although we may not experience immediate feelings of closeness to God, eventually, by continuing to conduct ourselves in such a manner, this physical behavior will have an impact on our spiritual selves and will help us succeed. (A similar idea is discussed by psychologists who say: "Smile and you will feel happy.")

That is the power of Torah commandments. Even if we may not feel like giving charity or praying at this particular moment, by having a "mitzvah" obligation to do so, we are in a framework to become inspired. At that point we can infuse that act of charity or prayer with all the meaning and lift it can provide. But if we'd wait until being inspired, we might be waiting a very long time.

May the Almighty bless you with the clarity to see your progress, and may you do so with joy.

In 1940, a boatload 1,600 Jewish immigrants fleeing Hitler's ovens was denied entry into the port of Haifa; the British deported them to the island of Mauritius. At the time, the British had acceded to Arab demands and restricted Jewish immigration into Palestine. The urgent plight of European Jewry generated an "illegal" immigration movement, but the British were vigilant in denying entry. Some ships, such as the Struma, sunk and their hundreds of passengers killed.

If you seize too much, you are left with nothing. If you take less, you may retain it (Rosh Hashanah 4b).

Sometimes our appetites are insatiable; more accurately, we act as though they were insatiable. The Midrash states that a person may never be satisfied. "If he has one hundred, he wants two hundred. If he gets two hundred, he wants four hundred" (Koheles Rabbah 1:34). How often have we seen people whose insatiable desire for material wealth resulted in their losing everything, much like the gambler whose constant urge to win results in total loss.

People's bodies are finite, and their actual needs are limited. The endless pursuit for more wealth than they can use is nothing more than an elusive belief that they can live forever (Psalms 49:10).

The one part of us which is indeed infinite is our neshamah (soul), which, being of Divine origin, can crave and achieve infinity and eternity, and such craving is characteristic of spiritual growth.

How strange that we tend to give the body much more than it can possibly handle, and the neshamah so much less than it needs!